Saliva ejectors are used during dental procedures to suction liquids and other materials that might impede the procedures. They are usually made of a flexible plastic with an embedded metal wire that enables the device to retain a desired shape. Often the ejector will be fashioned in a specific shape in order to help push away tissue in the field for better visibility and protection from injury. The ejector may not be rigid enough to retain the desired shape for a substantial period of time, which can necessitate repositioning the ejector in the patient's mouth due to lack of suction or injury to the soft tissues surrounding the saliva ejector tip, or poor retraction of tissue. The procedure must then be interrupted to allow for the ejector to be fashioned again into the desired shape. This may happen multiple times during a procedure causing fatigue and stress on practitioners as well as the patients.
Often the saliva ejector is utilized only sporadically during dental procedures, such as during crown preparation. This is because the ejector is not rigid enough to retract the tissue, and so other tools, such as tongue retractors, must be used to accomplish the retraction. The ejector can then be used only when the practitioner puts the other tool down to free up one of his hands. The dental procedure is again interrupted, and saliva can pool in the patient's mouth making the patient uncomfortable.